County outline
Where Beaufort County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 62.4% of Beaufort County’s measured area and water for 37.6%. Its combined area converts to 2,391.9 square kilometers or approximately 591,060 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 575.988 | 1,491.802 | 368,632.3 |
| Water | 347.543 | 900.132 | 222,427.5 |
| Total | 923.531 | 2,391.934 | 591,059.8 |
How Beaufort County compares
By original Census land area, Beaufort County ranks #26 of 46 in South Carolina and #1718 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.934 times the South Carolina county-equivalent median of 616.9 square miles. It accounts for 1.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete South Carolina ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Beaufort County
The Census Bureau estimates that 204,433 people lived in Beaufort County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #355 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #10 of 46 in South Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 187,093, the population has grown by 17,340 (+9.3%), compared with +8.8% for South Carolina as a whole.
With 576 square miles of land, that is 355 people per square mile (137 per km²), placing Beaufort County #449 nationally for density and #8 in South Carolina. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the South Carolina median is 78. Put another way, there are about 1.8 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 187,814 | 191,945 | 196,266 | 199,700 | 203,006 | 204,433 |
| Change | — | +4,131 | +4,321 | +3,434 | +3,306 | +1,427 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Beaufort County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Beaufort County. Together they are home to 107,739 people (52.7%); the other 96,694 (47.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Hilton Head Island town, with 38,196 residents in the county. The county seat, Beaufort city, has 15,775 residents. By land, Hardeeville city is the largest at 60.1 mi² across all its counties. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Bluffton town grew fastest since then (+33%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island town | 38,196 | +1.4% | 40.8 |
| Bluffton town | 36,807 | +33% | 52.1 |
| Port Royal town | 16,648 | +15% | 19.6 |
| Beaufort cityCounty seat | 15,775 | +15% | 25.8 |
| Yemassee townAlso in 1 other county | 157 | +5.4% | 12.3 |
| Hardeeville cityAlso in 1 other county | 156 | +119.7% | 60.1 |
| Ridgeland townAlso in 1 other county | 0 | — | 48.3 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Beaufort County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Beaufort County is a central county of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 242,966 residents on 1,231.2 square miles of land; Beaufort County accounts for 46.8% of the land and 84.1% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #254 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #203 by population.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Beaufort County | 204,433 | 576 |
| Jasper County | 38,533 | 655.2 |
ZIP codes
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Beaufort County; 14 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
29902299042990529906299072990929910299152992029926299272992829935299402994129945
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Beaufort County
Beaufort County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Colleton County (1,056.5 mi²) and the smallest is Hampton County (560 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Beaufort County forms a block of 2,847.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 20.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Beaufort | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleton County | 1,056.5 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Jasper County | 655.2 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Hampton County | 560 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Beaufort County compared with U.S. states?
Beaufort County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.8 times as much. South Carolina’s county land could hold about 52 areas the size of Beaufort County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 24 miles (38.6 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Beaufort County?
Beaufort County has more land than 1,504 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Beaufort County at #890 nationally by total area, 828 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 37.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 36.5 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Beaufort County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1717 | Haskell County, Oklahoma | 576.7 | Compare |
| #1718 | Beaufort County, South Carolina | 576 | This county |
| #1719 | Greene County, Pennsylvania | 575.9 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 32.354833, -80.685541. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,491,801,125 m²; AWATER: 900,133,214 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Beaufort County?
Beaufort County, South Carolina has 576 square miles (1,491.8 km²) of land and 347.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 923.5 square miles. It ranks #1718 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Beaufort County the largest county in South Carolina?
No. Beaufort County ranks #26 of 46 in South Carolina by land area. The largest is Horry County, with 1,133.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Beaufort County?
Beaufort County shares a land border with Jasper County, Colleton County, and Hampton County.
What is the population of Beaufort County?
The Census Bureau estimates Beaufort County had 204,433 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #355 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 355 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Beaufort County?
The county seat of Beaufort County is Beaufort.
What cities and towns are in Beaufort County?
Beaufort County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Hilton Head Island town, Bluffton town, Port Royal town, Beaufort city, and Yemassee town; 96,694 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Beaufort County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 242,966 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Beaufort County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Beaufort County, and 14 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Beaufort County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.8 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Beaufort County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 368,632 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 591,060 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.